Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Making Loki's Chitauri Scepter

...the cheapo non-screen-accurate version, though.

While there are plentyoftutorials out there for fancy versions that involve Wonderflex and heat-bending PVC pipes and wiring switches for lights, what if you don't need to fool anyone into thinking you're actually Loki? My costume was already only vaguely Loki-inspired, so I figured I could take liberties on the staff as well. In case you're curious about how I made mine, or want to make your own without breaking the bank (or spending hours on end), have a photo faketorial:

Step 1: Acquire a free LED flashlight from a conference. Paint the top part gold, and glue a little strip of craft foam to the rim so that the "crystal" will sit there securely.

Step 2: Get the cheapest clear acrylic faucet handle from the hardware store (something like this, except even cheaper...mine was $3). Coat the inside with watered down light blue paint.

Like so.

Here's my "crystal" wedged on top of the flashlight.

Step 3: Get a 3/4" diameter wooden dowel about the height of your nose. Paint it gold. Measure the diameter of your flashlight, then pad out the dowel top with craft foam strips until it is the same diameter as your flashlight. This provides a platform for the flashlight to rest on.

Step 4: Use another layer of craft foam to make a cylinder around the top of the dowel, enclosing the platform and providing walls to hold the flashlight in. Cover in gold duct tape.

See? A nice little space to slip in the flashlight.

Step 5: Trace the outline of the whole crystal-flashlight-dowel assembly, then use that to sketch out the blade shapes.

Step 7: Use hot glue to attach the blades to the sides of the dowel, then use more craft foam strips to help secure it. I also added a couple of pins to the tip of the smaller blade to keep the point from getting bent. I painted the strips silver eventually.

Step 8: Cut elongated pentagons out of more craft foam, wrap them around the base, and secure with hot glue.

Step 9: Paint that part gold too.

Step 10: Put a brass hex end cap on the bottom of the dowel. This gives it a satisfying weight and noise when you thump the staff emphatically on the ground.

Done! And for under $15, too.

It's actually quite brightly blue!

My final "weapon" actually ended up looking vaguely Asian, like the kind of long spears that wereusedhistorically (and currently, but mostly for kungfu demos). So, all in all, quite fitting for my Mulan/Loki mashup costume!

Eventually I'll get around to turning this into an Instructable. I seem to only make Instructables in November-December, usually coinciding with movie releases. Next up: party king Thranduil!

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About Me

I'm an enthusiast of cats, geekery, sewing, and clothing made from thrifted sheets. Thanks for visiting my blog, and I'd love it if you left me a comment! Or you can contact me at cationdesignsblog at gmail.com